If you've ever spent the night tossing and turning, trying to get to sleep, we might have the answer from a very unusual source.

The US military has developed a technique for getting its troops off to dreamland in just 120 seconds.

And the method has an incredible 96% success rate after six weeks of practice.

In a book titled 'Relax and Win: Championship Performance', readers are given tips on how to "improve sports performance and reduce injuries by learning to relax and release tensions prior to competition".

One of the methods in the book, written by Lloyd Bud Winter, teaches people how fall asleep in just two minutes, reports the Mirror.

How to do it

The method breaks down falling asleep into the following steps:

Relax the muscles in your face, including the jaw, tongue and those around the eyes

Let your shoulders drop, and relax both sides of the upper and lower arms

Breathe out, keeping the chest relaxed

Relax both the upper and lower parts of your legs

These steps should take around a minute to complete - not included in the time it takes to fall asleep.

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After ten seconds more of trying to clear your mind the book suggests picturing one of three mental images:

Lying in a canoe on a calm lake with nothing except blue skies circling you

Being snuggled in a black velvet hammock in a dark room

Repeating the phrase “don’t think, don’t think, don’t think” over and over for ten seconds

These steps could help you drift off but obviously there are no guarantees.

The method was first written about in 1981, and the US army have since published a disclaimer on the method, saying: "The bottom line when it comes to getting restful sleep is doing what works for you. There is no magical formula other than listening to your body."

Banish your insomnia (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Britain is one of the most sleep-deprived nations in the world, with almost four in 10 people thought to be struggling to get the recommended amount of at least seven hours.

And some 40% of American adults report difficulty falling asleep at least a few times each month, according to the National Sleep Foundation.